Welcome to Gaia! ::

Nathaniel arrived in the cafeteria a few moments later. He sighed and got into line, waiting to be served the disgusting food. After he received his serving mush and questionable, oddly scented meat, the man sat down and began to pick at his food. A few minutes and several repulsive mouthfuls later, Nathaniel pushed the food away, feeling ill. It was more the effects of not eating for so long rather than the disgusting food, but he couldn't eat anymore. The smell of the food was making him nauseous. Nathaniel stood and left the room, feeling slightly less tired than he had before. However, the cost of that was his stomach ache. He walked out of the cafeteria with his hands in his pockets, heading for the debriefing room. As he walked in, he noticed Richard and Strings. They seemed fairly capable.

The thin man sat without a word to either of them. In fact, he gave no indication that he had seen them at all. He just stared at the wall with that bored expression, oddly calm for having just fought something that strong and dangerous. He was perfectly content to sit there quietly until the debriefing began.

Nathaniel looked up at Richard. Asking about the bullets? Oh, right. The man shrugged, "I have a spell that I created before I had access to guns. I call it High Impact. I use witchcraft to throw something a lot harder and further than most guns can shoot. Take a penny for example." he explained, pulling the coin out of his pocket, "With my spell, I can throw this penny with enough force to rip through one of those armored cars. That's a damn penny. Now, a bullet is designed to fly through the air at high speeds and cause damage, correct? So I can throw the bullet faster and with greater force than a gun can shoot one. Theoretically, even stronger than that rifle Niko was carrying." he answered.

"I can turn anything from a rock to an eraser into a bullet, basically. Extremely useful, considering that I was a teenager when I came up with it." Nathaniel shrugged, hinting that he had been Illuminated fairly early, "It isn't quite kinetomancy, but it's close enough to be classified as that."

Nathaniel shrugged, "I've been debating using a handgun for a while, but I never really got the time to practice with one. I wasn't cleared to use guns when I was first recruited, so I haven't learned."

Strings had been quite happy to stare off into the distance, casually listening to the conversation without involving himself. Nathaniel was a very proud boy - it was a feature in Illuminated that ended in swift deaths. Granted, Strings was submissive to orders, even those that might promise suicide, and it was a wonder he had survived even as long as he had.

"Little," he answered, after making slow, ponderous eye contact with each of the other men. He cleared his throat, little good though it did to grant it more clarity. He searched for more to say. "I... have been told I'm like an engineer." He'd never understood the reference, though. "What I did today's about all I can do." He shrugged one shoulder in discomfort and fell silent. He had a single ambition, in terms of his combat prowess: a coveted form of witchcraft he had seen executed properly exactly one time, to deadly and disturbingly efficient effect. Some had tried to convince him that his general disposition and fighting preferences were more inclined towards the refined sorcery that was colored blue, but he had stoically refused. Music was only by rote when it was in the hands of a novice - a prize horse cantering on command. Music the way Strings played was wild, and in its formless beauty, was harnessed only like a raging beast, striking without hesitation, or the folly of conscious thought.

Nathaniel listened carefully to the answer Strings gave. He nodded as the older man gave the brief statement. Nathaniel gave Strings a curious look, "I have to say. That was honestly the most beautiful working of witchcraft that I have ever seen." he dipped his head slightly toward the older man, complimenting his ability. Strings was old, for an Illuminated. Old and talented, and that called for respect. Nathaniel wasn't lying about what he had said, either. He had seen a lot of spell slinging over the years, and most of it was just raw power. No beauty, no control. Even his own magic was by no means beautiful. His magic had been built up by rage, murder, and malicious intent. There was no reason to Nathaniel's power whatsoever. Strings impressed him.

Nathaniel looked back to Richard, "On the subject of magic, I've been meaning to ask. I heard that you have a special ability of some kind. Could you explain what it is?" he asked. Magic intrigued him. He loved to learn about new spells and new abilities. Nathaniel, while he was technically a skilled spell slinger, had no abilities in magic that were unique to him. He could use just about any form of witchcraft presented to him other than unique abilities or demoncraft. It made him rather jealous and was also a factor that drove his ambition to kill a demon.

Richard shrugged and rested his chin on his folded hands, it was only fair that the team knew of his abilities. "I can make people crazy." He explained simply, glancing towards Nathaniel. "With a look or a touch, I can destroy someone's mind. Doesn't take long, either, and I think a little more clearly afterwards." He dropped eye contact with Nathaniel and began to ponder the ground. "It doesn't work on demons, of course. That's why I took the Mk 19 when we went out."

Richard fell silent and let out a small sigh. He wasn't necessarily proud of his power, being completely insane wasn't anything he would wish upon anyone, he had very nearly been there himself. It wasn't any way to live, so Richard made it a point to only use his full power on someone he intended to kill.

"Nothing of the sort!" Uso responded before clambering out the window. Hanging half out, half in, he gave himself some time to adjust to the wind pressure before hoisting himself on top of the train. Six per car. He paused long enough to tally the number of cars, make a quick multiplication, and then proceeded. The brawler took it slow, feeling no need to rush. His sniper friend needed time to take care of the shotgunner anyways. That's when he realized there was no means of knowing just when Gi took care of things short of spotting the kill or trying to shout into the howling wind like a retard. Perhaps...

"Is there any method of communicating with my host beyond direct contact?"

While that was sorting out, he finished his trek and squatted at the end of the car, searching for all possible entrances, and perhaps a means of observing his targets before engaging them. Discretion and caution were his primary goals, but information was a close secondary.

Simple enough, he thought as he slid from the roof to the small passage between cars. He crouched low, and peeked inside to glean as much as he could before the upcoming shootout. No matter what, he was going to be hard pressed: guns, especially the more powerful and/or rapid-fire models, tended to overpower his soul output in short order. As a Blue Phantom, though, he figured his best bet was to use his opponents against themselves. A kill would be a recharge, and a dead body would make for a great shield and force dampener, slowing bullets that pass all the way through and preserving that much more power. Once he felt he was comfortable with the way the enemies were situated, he sent a Sign to Gi: Ready.

The plan from here was to let Gi's first shot draw their attention, knock them down to five, and give him the drop on them. Hell, he might even be able to snag a gun fast enough. He wasn't a particularly skilled marksman, but he'd used a handgun more than once and it would save him the trouble of closing the distance. An ability I should look into procuring, he mentally noted.

Next, he waited, and patiently. It was perhaps one of Uso's greatest virtues that he could be patient if he wanted to. Around suits, though, he tended toward irascibility on a short fuse. It was their fault, after all.

All their damn fault, he growled, then shook his head to free it of those thoughts. He could reminisce another time.

GO! came the Sign. It was time to test the upgrades.

One mighty augmented fist flung the door off its hinges with every intent of battering Gi's assailants. Uso wasn't far behind the cartwheeling metal. He bore down on the nearest man in a short sprint, kicked his knee out from under him, and drove his left fist down on the poor soul's skull.

Hehe. Poor soul.